The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-05-22

t'He will never in the world get them. -
said my friend, turning to me.
"Why? what are they?n inquired, never
having heard of these evidently famous
wines
i "Whati never heard of the Bloodgood
Madeiras y cried my friend in astonishment,
land YOU pretend to know something about
New Yorkersn
l I humbly admitted my ignorance, and he
sank back in his easy chair as he related
what follows:
a+'The Bloodgood Madeiras are so called
because they come from the stock of wine
dealer who was famous as an importer of
Madeira wines half century ago. He had
very large business and catered to the best
families. Business was done in an old
fashioned way then, and every family of
any standing imported its own Madeira If
Mr. John Jacob Astor or Mr.. Goelet or any
of the other big men of that day wanted
any Madeira he would go to Bloodgood and
say; os, ,.,. % -,
s'Then Bloodgood would send out an order
something like this:
'''MEssRs. -: Send 20 John Jacob
Astor, in my care, one cask Madeira, vim
tage-.'
aIn that way Mr. Astor would be sure to
get his wine direct from the grower or ex-
porter in Madeira, and the wine would come
to New York marked with his name
was clerk in wine house of similar kind
fifty years ago, and remember very well
when some of the rich people would come
down and order their pipes or quarters.
Those were the names they usually called
the casks, which indicated their size. Think
of dealer going to the trouble of order
ing a quarter of a cask of wine from
Madeira for a customer! But, of course,
he always had a lot of such orders ready
when the vessel sailed. besides what he need
ed himself
"When old Bloodgood died he left large
quantity of fine Madeira, which was bought
up by his old customers. Occasionally some
small quantity of this viii get on the mar
ket, and then there is a mighty blg scram-
BILE for it, can tell you. Money is no OBJ
ject to some of our men, and Jim Hustled or
Herman Oelrichs or half a dozen other
prominent men that / can name, would
raise each other blind for long time before
any one would call. If you have never
tasted Bloodgood Madeira then YOU don't
know what good Madeira wine is"
Madeira was evidently the favorite wine
some years ago. / remarked. sit is not
now certainly
no" it is not, n>he continued. "Claret
and champagne are all the go now; and the
quantity of stuff that is drunk in the name
of champagne is enough TO poison a colony
OF goats"
y
every family of consequence had its supply
of Madeira and decanter of that wine
could always be found upon the sideboard.
As good Madeira came to this country as
went to any other in the world. The Aneri-
can sailing vessels took out boards and
slaves to Madeira and brought back the
wine in return.
'But one year a peculiar pestilence swept
over the Island of Madeira and killed all the
vines. After that it became impossible to
do more than supply the wealthy buyers in
Europe and the American trade ceased.
Every one who could afford it laid in
quantity, but it took long time for the
news of the pestilence TO reach here and
long time for the orders to get back to Ma
dera, so no one was enabled to secure a very
large amount.
San attempt was made TO substitute
sherry for MADEIRA but the people who had
been drinking the best old Madeira were not
going to put up with new sherry and the
trial was unsuccessful"
SIS there much of that old wine hanging
around these diggings!' inquired.
Eyes, there is considerable of it in the
wine cellars of some of our old families
can mention the names of number of
prominent people who have inherited and
carefully added TO this old stock In fact,
may say that this old Madeira has given
origin to many well-stocked wine cellars in
New \ ork. People who would never have
Thought Of buying more than enough wine
TO suffice for their present needs have been
tempted, through having this old wine as a
nucleus, 80 buy Whenever good opportu-
nifty presents itself
ut is wonderful how jealous these people
are of this old wine. They hoard IL as
misers do gold. You cannot buy it for its
weight in bullion, verify believe. and the
only chance we dealers have is wher some
family dies out and the estate has to be d-
vided. Then the win casually has TO be sold
In order tosettle up the estate, but even then
IL Is rarely that we can get very much of it,
Either some OF the heirs bid il in or some
private collector, glad of the opportunityto
Increase hissiocl, runs up the price beyond
all competition Oh our part